And that's the way we like it!

Dear True,

When I was scrolling through the blog I saw the "heads up" on the NYTimes article in which we are "discovered." Sobering enough, but the really frightening remarks were made by Sarah (in the comments section) in which she mentioned that some of the McMansion owners already here with their "keep out" signs were discussing picnic tables, rest stops, and street lighting on the Gunflint Trail! (O, yaah????)

While it's certainly true that some people's idea of "roughing it" is going without the olive in their martini, what's really needed is education: these people need to learn that what we have here in Cook County is a Way of Life not open to changes we don't consider for the better. Ours is basically a simple way of doing things -- with little or no frills. If these improvement-minded folks feel they need frills, they should consider moving to Hayward, WI, where Mayo doctors escape for the weekend. We will not be building a Byerly's here any time soon. This is a North Woods environment with bears that roust the garbage, wolves that eat unguarded poodles, gulls that grab steaks off the grill, and moose that pop out of the underbrush to stand blandly in front of automobiles, holding up traffice indefinitely. We consider THEM to be our true neighbors, even more so than the "civilized" Hilfiger-clad from the city. The only street lights we need come from the stars.

What these "monied" folks don't realize is that they've moved into an area analagous to Amish country. We've made a conscious choice. We live a simple life and we like it. These McMansion folks feel they're preaching to the Gentiles, but they should save their breath -- no one's listening -- WE LIKE IT THIS WAY! HEL-LO! Take your ostentation somewhere else. WE'RE NOT IMPRESSED! We don't consider you any smarter or more advanced than we are. In fact, we'd like to see you find your way out of the Boundary Waters unassisted. And we have a college-educated population percentile second only to Olmsted County, home of Mayo and IBM. WE CHOOSE THIS WAY OF LIFE! (You'll be surprised to learn you aren't any richer than some of us either!)

Our message is this: dig out your flannel shirt. Buy a compass and a flashlight. And quit yer belly-aching.
This ain't Edina. We left Edina behind and went on to something better: Cook County.

Signed,
Proud to Live Here